Powers has always put UT’s students first

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File 2012/The Associated Press

University of Texas President Bill Powers was told by UT System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa to step down this fall or be fired, but this week a deal was announced to let him stay as president until June.

Daley Epstein graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in May with a Plan II honors degree and a degree in history.

As the freshmen filed out of the classroom, the professor called the teaching assistants into his office. “Every week, you will meet with the students to develop their writing skills and help them with course material,” he told us. “But I also want you to make sure they are adjusting to college well. Freshman year can be a difficult transition, and if you notice that any of them seem to be having a tough time, please let me know. There are things that we can do to help.”

When President Bill Powers told me to watch out for these students, I knew that he was different from many professors. But when he continued to check up on their well-being throughout the semester, despite the multitude of responsibilities he faces on a daily basis, I saw a rare kind of leader — one with a brilliant, broad vision for what the university can and should be, and one who truly cares about every freshman who sets foot on the Forty Acres.

UT System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa’s request for Powers’ resignation last week generated an outpouring of support for the president from students, faculty, alumni, donors, legislators and champions of higher education from across the country — and with good reason. Powers makes the University of Texas a better place on a daily basis. His leadership and guidance are exemplary, benefiting UT and the state on both macro and micro levels.

Powers’ major accomplishments are known across the Texas — and well beyond. In the past year, the University of California-Berkeley Alumni Association named him their 2014 Alumnus of the Year, and his peers honored him by electing him Chairman of the Association of American Universities (an organization of 62 leading public and private universities in the US and Canada). This recognition put Austin on the map in ways it has never been before.

The diverse UT community disagrees on many things. However, its steadfast support for Powers is unwavering.

Despite the unreasonable attacks he put up with for the past three years, any of which would give him reason to go where he is appreciated properly, he continues to serve, doing what is best for the university. And even with the announcement that he will resign come June, Powers plans to stay and teach at UT’s law school, because politics aside, he is committed to bettering the university community and expanding the minds of its students.

To me, and the other students who have been fortunate enough to get to know him, Powers is more than just his multitude of accomplishments and accolades. Which is why, despite the fact that the “July 4 Coup” took place over a holiday, when the majority of students and faculty were away for the summer, we took a lesson from Powers’ playbook and spoke up. It may not be football season, but when a challenge arises, we were not going to sit on the sidelines.

Hopefully for the remainder of Powers’ presidency, the petty politics that have precluded Powers from performing his job will cease. To those who stand averse to the ideals of higher education that were defended this week: Our Forty Acres is not your political playground.

Powers’ impact is not limited to the top of the tower. It begins in the classroom. He goes above and beyond to support students and faculty, which is why this past week the UT community went above and beyond to support him. At the University of Texas, we say that What Starts Here Changes the World. When Longhorn graduates step off the Forty Acres, we leave educated, invigorated and inspired. We leave with an understanding that when faced with the world’s problems, as Powers said, “there are things we can do to help.”

Daley Epstein graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in May with a Plan II honors degree and a degree in history. Her email address is depstein4@gmail.com.

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